M A I N   N E W S

In the blood Another Thackeray in political arena
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Mumbai, August 21
The Shiv Sena has a new rising star: Aditya Thackeray, grandson of supremo Bal Thackeray is all set to make his political debut under the students’ wing of the party.

Aditya, a BA student from the city’s St Xavier’s College, is mobilising support from the student community for the 10 candidates of the BVS who are contesting the forthcoming elections to the Mumbai University senate.

“Our party has mobilised thousands of students in colleges across Mumbai who have been registered as voters,” says Rajan Chougule, Mumbai corporator and close aide of Aditya.

As part of Aditya’s initiation rites, student activists of the Shiv Sena organised a clean up drive in college canteens across Mumbai demanding that managements provide hygienic surroundings and clean food to students. Aditya also got Mumbai mayor Shraddha Jadhav from the Shiv Sena to get the Mumbai civic body to grade college canteens and toilets earlier this month.

Speaking to reporters shortly afterwards, Aditya said college canteens and toilets were completely neglected by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. “The BMC should grade college canteens and toilets like it does hotels and restaurants,” Aditya had said.

Addressing a students’ rally here, Aditya asked his supporters to ensure the victory of BVS candidates in all the ten seats for which elections are to be held.

Though elections are held for the seats every five years, the number of students who sign up to vote is small in number. Traditionally the Congress’ National Students Union of India and the BJP’s Akhil Bharatiya Vidarthi Parishad held sway over the students’ vote at the senate.